Diana's 1991 time capsule unearthed at Great Ormond Street

A leadencased wooden time capsule sealed by Diana, Princess of Wales, beneath the foundation of Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1991 has been unearthed as the hospital prepares to build a new Children’s Cancer Centre. The box, placed during a ceremony to mark the foundation of the Variety Club Building, yielded a collection of early 1990s artifacts including a Kylie Minogue CD, a battery operated pocket television, a solar powered calculator, a European passport, a sheet of recycled paper, British coins, five tree seeds in a small container, a snowflake hologram and a copy of The Times from the day of burial. Despite signs of moisture damage, hospital staff said the objects remained largely intact and offered a vivid snapshot of the pre internet era.

Diana became president of Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1989 and was involved with the hospital until her death in 1997. The capsule was assembled after two children who won a Blue Peter competition were invited to select items they felt represented life in the decade. Little David Watson, aged 11 at the time, chose the Kylie Minogue album Rhythm of Love along with a passport and recycled paper. Sylvia Foulkes, then nine,...